[Stephen]

One of my favourite 70s group was Supertramp. Roger Hodson is an amazing singer and songwriter. I found this and wanted to share it. You'll love it. It inspired me; I'm gonna learn to play this song.

http://www.rogerhodgson.com/video/unplugged.wmv

[allthumbs]

Thanks for that Stephen. Haven't heard that tune in ages.

[justinthyme]

Thanks for the clip, Stephen - that brought back a few memories! He has such a unique voice, doesn't he? 'Breakfast in America' and 'Crime of the Century' were 2 of my favourite albums in their day. Still great music.

[Kirk Lorange]

In 1977 or so, a band I was in in Sydney called Sleeeping Dogs opened for them on their Australian tour ... it was their Crime of the Century tour. They recruited us for backing vocals in their last tune. A great bunch of guys.

Here I am, beer can in hand, walking down the tour bus (they all hated flying) past their drummer Bob Seibenberg:

[mcknett]

I watched that video...forgot how much I like that song...and "Dreamer"...and "Take the Long Way Home"(trip to iTunes to follow). Is he rolling his thumb over the top of the neck to make some of those chords?

[Kirk Lorange]

Just reminiscing here, I remember a couple of stories from that tour.

1. I was almost responsible for Supertramp not going on in Adelaide! We all arrived back at the hotel after sound check and there was a representative from the Musicians Union there waiting ... for me. I was still not a member ... I had arrived from Canada a year or so earlier and never even thought about joining. The rep said that if I didn't join right then and there, they would have to prevent Supertramp from performing, and that joining entailed a fee of ?? 56$ ?? ... can't quite remember, a lot of money back then, like a day's pay.

Needless to say, I joined.

2. There was a Sydney Harbour cruise organized by the record company for the band and crew at the end of the tour, and we were invited along. I was sitting at one stage with the English truck driver. He had never tasted prawns before (big shrimp for those who don't know what prawns are, about 4 or 5 inches long) ... I said to him, 'Well here's your chance to try one out', pointing to a bucket full of unshelled, fully whiskered and well shod prawns. So this -- without meaning to be cruel -- thick crew member picked one up and before I could say 'Stop! Take the shell off first .. ' was crunching through it like plate glass. 'I don't think I like them' he told me ...

3. Our True Blue Aussie keyboard player, Wayne, challenged Supertramp and their crew to a beer drinking contest on a day off. He lost the contest and all credibility when he was caught pouring his beer into a potted palm in the pub.

[coldethyl]

Hey Kirk, I'll bet he'll (Wayne, the keyboard player) never live that down! LOL

On the subject of Supertramp, I have their Live In Paris cd and it's fantastic. My only complaint is that my favourite Supertramp song "Give A Little Bit" isn't on there.

[Kirk Lorange]

Originally Posted by mcknett

Is he rolling his thumb over the top of the neck to make some of those chords?

Yes, it looks like he's grabbing an F# note on the bass string with his thumb when playing the D chord. A lot of players do this, especially when strumming hard like he's doing, just in case they hit that bass string by mistake. If left open, it's an E note, not a note in the D chord; if fretted at the second fret, it becomes an F#, a note which is in the D chord ... the 3 of the D chord. It's not the best note to have under a D chord, but it's a lot better than a note not even in the chord if you happen to hit the bass string by mistake.

On the Bm chord, it looks like he's grabbing 2 strings with his thumb, playing the barre Bm without barring! You need a long thumb for that!

Grabbing bass notes with your thumb is usually considered a no-no, but so many players do it. I did it for decades until one day the joint in my thumb started hurting because of doing it ... so much I had to stop.

This just goes to show that there is no one set way to play guitar ... every player should feel free to adapt to their own comfort zone.

[mcknett]

Thanks for the reminiscing and the tips. I found somebody's "lesson" for this song and have been playing the A, Dadd9/A, G6/A over and over (somehow my wife allows me to do that) Some day I'll get beyond the intro...but I'm still a true newbie.

[Ultimate Garage Band]

I play that song in my solo acoustic act but I have a different tab than what he's playing. I'd prefer what he's doing I think.

[si16]

You sometimes hear advanced players joking, or sometimes deriding, rhythm guitarist saying they are technically limited or only know a few chords. But when you hear it played as wonderfully as this, you realise that rhythm, or accompaniment, is an art in itself. Plus the average person on the street would probably relate more to this than any shedder solo. Thanks for the link, Stephen.

[Stephen]

Wow what a great response, so glad you all enjoyed it.